1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a user equipment (UE) processing method and a femtocell system, and more particularly to a method for processing UE connection under a mixed mode and a femtocell system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a mobile communication system (such as a 3G network), a femtocell links user equipments (UE) located within a household or a small zone via an air interface, and further links the UE to a network of an operator via a broadband network so as to achieve mobile data offloading. In this manner, indoor communication quality is improved, and voice and data services may be provided at a lower cost.
The femtocell, such as a home node-B (HNB) and a home evolved node-B (HeNB), provides wireless coverage for the UE located within a household. The femtocell provides a connection service to the UE. According to the 3GPP standard, the femtocell provides three connection modes, namely, the open mode, the mixed mode and the closed mode. Under the open mode, every UE is unconditionally allowed to connect to the femtocell. Under the mixed mode, some UEs can be connected to the femtocell with higher priority, and other UEs can be connected to the femtocell with lower priority. Under the closed mode, connection service is provided to specified UE(s) only.
The mixed mode is an important mode for the femtocell. However, the connection under the mixed mode is still lacking of agreed protocols, and details for implementing priority are not yet provided.